This scarf is a good example of how in a simple design, the placement of color can make a dramatic impact.

The lighter parts are Uptown Worsted Mist, with subtle shading. It’s accented by solid Uptown Worsted, with elements like the end stripe placed to tie the whole thing together. That said, it’s actually an easy knit – all knits and purls. Give it a try!

Punxatawney Phil has spoken – he’s seen his shadow, which legend says means six more weeks of winter.

Whatever, Phil. We’re right on the cusp of Spring, with a few flowers poking out, but also snow in the forecast. What to do?

How about a cute little toddler topper (say that five times fast)? It definitely won’t take six weeks to knit, but it does have plenty to keep you interested, in the form of cables and seed stitch.

We like that the cables on each mitten each twist in a different direction. It’s the little things.

Bella Cash is a great choice for this – its cashmere content keeps it very soft, but the nylon makes it hard-wearing and machine washable. Great for knits like this, sized toddler through children’s large. Plenty of pastels and brighter tones to choose from, too.

Whether the weather turns to Spring or not, we hope you have a great weekend.

In the early 1900s, a prospector noticed large stones leaving meandering tracks across a section of Death Valley, as if they had decided to go travelling. The paths baffled scientists until 2014, when the mystery was finally solved with the use of GPS and time-lapse cameras.

At times, the area would flood and freeze, and as the ice broke up, it would be blown across the shallow floodwater pond, with embedded rocks dragging paths along the desert. The ice melts, the pond evaporates, and all that’s left is tracks in dry sand behind rocks that aren’t where they used to be.

The natural colors and meandering paths involved in this phenomenon reminded us of twisting cables in our Deluxe Chunky Naturals. These tones are undyed – the color you see is the color of the sheep.

Which brings us to the Sailing Stones Shawl.

One nice thing about this shawl – the cables are reversible. Take a look at the “wrong” side. Still quite lovely.

Five skeins in the main color, 50003 Musket, makes a generously sized 52″ x 38″ accessory.

Contrasting color applied i-cord and tassels set this design apart.

This would be lovely to wrap up in on a chilly day or night.

We hope you keep a little mystery in your life, and that you make time for yourself this weekend.

Sometimes we have a free pattern that slips under the radar, since we’re so eager to share it that we can’t wait for a Free Pattern Friday. That’s the case with the crocheted Behemoth Scarf in Revolutions.

Published at the end of the year, the holiday rush meant that this generously-sized scarf didn’t get its due. That’s a shame, because it’s a beauty.

Two cakes of self-shading Revolutions are worked lengthwise on a J-10 (6mm) hook. This is a scarf with a length that invites wrapping and folding, but it’s easy to shorten it if you wish – just subtract chains from the beginning count in multiples of 10. It will still be a showstopper.

Today, it’s the crochet version of the Hanasaku Cowl, in Classic Shades Frenzy and Bamboo Bloom Handpaints (pattern link here).

We had a lot of requests for this! The original knitted Hanasaku Cowl (free from your LYS or for sale via Ravelry) was a very popular design, so it’s only fair that the crocheters get to take a crack at it too.

The long version of the cowl is shown, calling for two skeins of Bamboo Bloom Handpaints and two of Classic Shades Frenzy. The pattern also includes instructions for the short version, which takes just one skein of each.

Classic Shades Frenzy is slightly bulkier than the Poems called for in the knit version, but you could easily substitute it or regular Classic Shades for the Frenzy – it’s all about whatever colors speak to you.

We used our very newest Bamboo Bloom Handpaints color, 328 Sango, with Frenzy color 915 Madras. We were happy to see how the reds, blues, and blacks played off each other so dramatically.

For myself, one of my resolutions is to get better at crochet (so far, so good!) so I’m looking at giving this one-piece cowl a whirl. The advantage of working at Universal is having a ton of beautiful yarn to look at – what do you think of Bamboo Bloom Handpaints 313 Kanji and Classic Shades Frenzy 909 Attic Light? Although that 914 Botanica just peeking out behind it is also awfully nice. Decisions, decisions.

Your LYS would have some great ideas on color combos for you to put together.

We hope you enjoy this colorful crochet cowl. Have a fantastic weekend.

His mom Krista designed a hat for us this week! Krista works in Customer Service here, and this is her source of inspiration:

Yes, we do work in paradise.

This is a small section of the big wall of sample balls that she sits next to in Customer Service. We keep these to send to magazines and shops who want to touch the yarn for themselves, but of course since we’re all crafters here we also eye them hungrily ourselves. It’s only natural that we sometimes look at them and think, “you know, these would go great together!”

The Double Up Hat combines brushed DK/light worsted Amphora and superfine Whisper Lace wool/lace blend to make this worsted weight hat with a subtle heathered look.

The two yarns together create a lovely halo effect.

I’ve been wondering how this would look with Whisper Lace in one of the more variegated tones. Let’s grab a selection from the Big Wall o’ Yarn to see.

How’s everyone today? Here in the Piedmont of North Carolina, we expect to get our first snowfall of the year!

Mind you, it will probably only be a dusting, but hey – it’s snow! Those of us who are big kids at heart are ready to run outside and catch snowflakes. Of course, because we’re adults, we’re also ready to then go back inside and knit something warm.

Perfect timing for the Candy Stripe Set!

Knit in machine washable Adore, the entire set is knit in the round. That includes the scarf, which shows stockinette on both sides. It’s a bright set to stand out on a gray day.